Hey all. TISSUE WARNING! Yeah, that kinda sums it up! Please R and R.

-Jordyn

Luke let out a drowsy yawn. He hadn't slept like that for years. As he blinked, his eyes adjusting to the light, his thoughts quickly turned to Bo. He turned only to find that he was alone in the room.

"Bo!" He frantically pressed the nurse call button. "Bo! Bo!"

A petite blonde nurse entered the room. "Can I help you, sir?"

"Where's Bo?"

"I'm sorry, who?"

"My cousin… Bo Duke…. He was in here with me: tall, blond… had a head injury."

"Oh sir… I'm sorry. Your cousin… he… well, he didn't make it."

"What?" faltered Luke, "No… no… not Bo… not my Bo. You're wrong! You gotta be wrong!"

Angrily he pulled himself free from the IV in his arm. "Take me to him! Now!"

"I can't do that, sir, but if you'll wait…" began the nurse, pushing the emergency button in the room.

"I ain't waitin'… I'll find him myself." Luke was starting the task of freeing his leg, when the doctor who had ordered Luke's sedative came in. "What's going on here?"

"You… if it weren't for you I'd've been there… least t' say goodbye," muttered Luke as tears rolled down his cheeks.

"What's he talking about, Roberta?"

"His cousin. You know, the head injury victim that passed an hour or so ago."

The doctor went to Luke and rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Calm down, son."

"If ya knew what was good for ya mister ya'd back off," answered Luke, his blue eyes narrowing with anger.

"Mr. Duke, you don't understand. Your cousin is fine. Roberta had just come on shift when we lost one of our trauma patients. He had looked similar to your cousin."

"Oh, Mr. Duke. I'm so sorry," blushed the nurse.

"Then where is Bo?" asked Luke, still not wholly convinced.

"He was moved to the ICU. He had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic he was given and is having some difficulty breathing on his own. We're watching him closely."

Luke scowled in response. "You said we'd stay together."

"Now, Mr. Duke, be reasonable. Your cousin needs to be watched closely. He's not doing so well."

"You said he was fine," argued Luke knowing full-well what the doctor had meant by the statement but, owing him one for the involuntary sedative, decided to challenge him.

"He's holding his own right now, Mr. Duke. I wish I could tell you more, but we won't know anything for certain until his tests come back. Get some rest now."

Roberta reinserted Luke's IV and after apologizing profusely once more, exited the room, prepared to receive a butt-chewing by the doctor who followed closely after her.

Luke's body began to shake. The thought of losing Bo was more than he could handle. He buried his head in his hands and released the tears he had been holding in for so long, the whole time thanking the good Lord that Bo was safe.

Now, I don't know 'bout y'all, but I done popped a guitar string when that gal said Bo had left us…


Jesse and Daisy arrived at the hospital just before dinner time.

"I'm worried, Uncle Jesse," began Daisy as she pulled a duffel bag of the boy's belongings from the back seat. "Why on earth would they come way up here? I figured Manistee was around Detroit… not way up in the middle of nowhere. And why are they at a hospital?"

"I don't have the answers, Daisy. But there's one sure way t' find out."

The two made their way through the front doors of the hospital, stopping at the information desk.

"Excuse me, but we're looking for my nephews, Bo and Luke Duke," began Jesse anxiously.

The receptionist smiled, recognizing that these two visitors weren't from Michigan. "Are they patients here?"

"Well ma'am, I don't rightly know. Ya see, we just had a phone call tellin' us to come up here an'…"

"Well, I'll see what I can find out. What are their names again?"

"Beauregard and Lucas Duke," answered Jesse. "It may be under Bo and Luke," he added as he watched the lady typing quickly.

"Yes, sir, here they are. They were both admitted yesterday."

"Admitted! What for?" cried Daisy.

"I'm afraid I don't have the details. I can tell you Luke is in good condition in room 306. Bo was moved to the ICU this morning. He's in stable condition. The ICU is on the fifth floor. Visiting' hours are over in an hour."

"Thank ya for your help. C'mon Daisy," said Jesse wasting no time getting to Luke's room.


"Luke. Wake up, Luke. It's Uncle Jesse… an' Daisy's here too."

Luke's eyes fluttered open and he blinked in disbelief. Were they really here?

"Uncle Jesse… Daisy, it sure is good t' see ya…"

"We were sure worried 'bout ya, honey," offered Daisy. "Y'okay?"

"Be a lot better when I get this thing off my foot," he said nodding to his cast.

"What happened, Luke?"

"I don't rightly know, Uncle Jesse. One minute we was goin' boar huntin', the next I woke up in the middle of a forest out in the middle of nowhere." He told of how he had found Bo, beaten, lying in the woods and touched briefly on their journey ending with Skorniski.

Daisy was horrified. "What a maniac! He's sick!" A sudden thought occurred to her and she turned ghostly white. "Did he…did he… hurt Bo?"

Luke frowned, tears welling up in his eyes. "Yeah, Daisy. He did."

"Is he… is he…"

"He was near unconscious when I found him…he'd pre-near drowned in the lake. Uncle Jesse, I'm sorry. Ya always told me to watch after'm… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Now, Luke, t'ain't your fault," whispered Jesse drawing Luke into his arms. Luke was shaking and knowing the last thing his nephew wanted was to break down in front of Daisy, he suggested that they go see Bo before visiting' hours were over.

"Uncle Jesse… I uh… there's something else you oughta know before ya go…" began Luke, fumbling over his words, which he never did.

"Out with it Luke… what are ya afraid t' tell me?"

"Uncle Jesse… when I first found him in the woods… an' he woke up… he… well, he's blind Uncle Jesse," finished Luke softly.

"Blind?" whispered Jesse in disbelief. "Bo... blind?"

"Oh, God no!" cried Daisy hugging Uncle Jesse tightly.

"He knows," murmured Luke. "I was with'm when he woke up…"

Tears traced down Luke's cheeks as he recalled the look of terror in Bo's sightless eyes and the unmistakable sound of fear in his scream.

Jesse took a deep breath. "Well, now. We best pull ourselves together. Luke, we're gonna go see Bo for a bit. You get some rest, ya hear?"

"Yes, sir."

Jesse bent over his nephew and wiped the boy's tears with a hand that, aside from all of the callouses, never lost its gentle touch. "It'll be alright, Luke."

Luke drew a quivering breath. "Yes, sir."

Daisy kissed her cousin's wet cheek before following Jesse out of the room.

If y'all are makin' tracks for the fridge, ya just might wanna grab a box of Kleenex while yer up…